Dockworker Strike Halts Half of America’s Ocean Shipping

Dockworkers from the coasts of New England to Texas began a strike on Tuesday, halting nearly half of the United States’ ocean shipping.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ila) rejected a final proposal from the U.S. Maritime Alliance (usmx) employer group for a new six-year contract for tens of thousands of its workers on Monday, saying it fell “far short of the demands.”

According to ila leader Harold Daggett, employers like container ship operator Maersk and apm Terminals North America have not offered appropriate wages nor agreed to demands to stop port automation projects. He said:

We are prepared to fight as long as necessary, to stay out on strike for whatever period of time it takes, to get the wages and protections against automation our ila members deserve. usmx owns this strike now. They now must meet our demands for this strike to end.

https://twitter.com/wallernyc/status/1841042232633143303

Effects: The strike at 36 ports affects imports requiring loading and unloading, which includes everything from food to automobiles. However, the ila says it will not impact cruise ships, military cargoes or oil tankers.

• Analysts at JPMorgan say the strike could cost the nation up to $5 billion per day.

Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, overseeing some of the nation’s largest ports, said there are nearly 100,000 containers in New York City’s ports waiting to be unloaded.

Government intervention? A week ago, usmx filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the ila, saying the group was breaking labor laws by refusing to negotiate.

If the ila is overstepping its authority, the federal government could invoke the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which would legally allow it to demand workers return to their jobs, restoring shipping operations.

However, the Biden administration has previously stated it wants to stay out of negotiations.

The White House has refrained from commenting on the issue, but anonymous officials told Reuters the administration is hoping the strike will be short. A prolonged strike could cripple the already suffering economy.

America’s economic woes were prophesied. The Bible says the nation is suffering from curses. But it also explains a time of soon-coming prosperity.

Learn more: Read “Why the Trumpet Watches America’s Economic Collapse.”